In dealing with a coordinated response to an emergency situation it is imperative to have a reliable communication system. Moreover, the more data collected and conveyed to a central dispatch regarding each responder and the situation they are dealing with, the better to coordinate a response and to direct further help as needed. The enormous growth of the mobile computing industry (e.g., smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, and the Internet of Things (IoT)) has been accompanied by a corresponding explosion in low-cost sensors and the data they produce. At the same time, wireless communication technologies have grown immensely in terms of speed and geographical coverage. This technological advancement can be both a blessing and a curse to first responders. Undoubtedly the technology can make first responders more effective, however, the wide array of communication tools such as land mobile radios (LMR), smartphones, and other available communication devices and sensors can be overwhelming and distracting. Worse, wireless communication connectivity can be sporadic in disaster areas.
In addition, one of the main challenges to building a communication system for first responders is the fact that most radio (especially tactical radio) networks only support IP routing within the same radio type and the same network subnet. Communication packets in these systems do not leave the subnet and are referred to as non-transit packets. This means that these radio devices generally cannot route network packets with IP addresses outside the radio subnet. One method to handle transit traffic is to have gateways that tunnel the data through radio networks. However, these gateways also require static pre-configuration with fixed IP tunnels. This static configuration might not be possible in certain situations where IP address and link attributes are not known beforehand. Furthermore, even when such configuration is possible, it cannot handle very dynamic situations where link quality and availability is very unpredictable leaving it impractical for most situations especially those fluid situations that face first responders.
For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for an effective and efficient communication system for first responders and the like.